I view part of my job as a commitment to the community to help educate as well as increase minority representation within the sciences. As such I am actively involved in multiple long-term outreach programs such as STEM Boot Camp as well as my partnership with Greendale High School science teacher, Mrs. Megan Levas.
University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, STEM Boot Camp (2016 to present)
STEM Boot Camp is an immersive two-week summer camp for incoming UW-Whitewater students who have social, educational, and economic barriers to a career in STEM. It is held on campus during August and continues to support students through their first year.
![](https://blogs.uww.edu/levaslab/files/2024/05/STEM-bc-main-1024x408.jpg)
Greendale High School Oceanography (2017 – present)
In partnership with Greendale High School every semester I run months long educational program on coral reef ecology. As part of this outreach students learn about coral reefs, get hands on experience with experimental design, and visit UWW campus to present their research.
![](https://blogs.uww.edu/levaslab/files/2024/05/another-table.jpg)
![](https://blogs.uww.edu/levaslab/files/2024/05/greendale-table.jpg)
![](https://blogs.uww.edu/levaslab/files/2024/05/greenhouse.jpg)
![](https://blogs.uww.edu/levaslab/files/2024/05/group-at-uww.jpg)
![](https://blogs.uww.edu/levaslab/files/2024/05/student-and-coral.jpg)
![](https://blogs.uww.edu/levaslab/files/2024/05/student-posters.jpg)
LEAP Hawaii Project
In 2018 I partnered with Aloha MAP and mentored 8 UWW undergraduate students to implement a coral reef educational component to k-5 students on the Big island of Hawaii. In addition to the outreach component, the undergraduate students not only implemented the educational component but also sampled multiple rivers around the island to assess nutrient fluxes across the island.
![](https://blogs.uww.edu/levaslab/files/2024/05/hawaii-poster-2-1.jpg)
![](https://blogs.uww.edu/levaslab/files/2024/05/students-sampling-1-rotated.jpg)
![](https://blogs.uww.edu/levaslab/files/2024/05/hawaii-teachin-two-1.jpg)
![](https://blogs.uww.edu/levaslab/files/2024/05/hawaii-group.jpg)